Local History: Ed Pitts

You Can't Drive to Beaver River

5pm @The Old Forge Library. A different Speaker every week! Free and open to all! Check out the full schedule below. In conjunction with the Town of Webb Historical Association.

The Old Forge Library, located at 220 Crosby Boulevard, is pleased to host the Town of Webb Historical Association Local History and Stories Series on Thursdays throughout the summer. The free series features weekly presentations and discussions exploring local and regional history, conservation, culture, and storytelling, while inviting community members and visitors to share stories and memories of their own.
The series continues July 16 with Adirondack historian and author Edward Pitts presenting the illustrated lecture, “You Can’t Drive to Beaver River,” at 5 pm.

The hamlet of Beaver River in the Town of Webb consists of just over one hundred seasonal camps, the Norridgewock Lodge, and the homes of four year-round residents. Located at the eastern end of the Stillwater Reservoir and completely surrounded by the state Forest Preserve, Beaver River is the only place in New York with year-round residents that has no direct road connection to the outside world. Only a handful of inhabited places in the lower forty-eight states can make the same claim. However, from its founding in 1892 until the end of 1914, Beaver River did have a road connection to the outside world.

Pitts will tell the story of how that road connection was lost and the continuing efforts to restore road access. He will discuss the creation of the original Carthage to Lake Champlain Road and explain how the section leading to Beaver River was cut off at the end of 1914. He will also describe when and how the road from Eagle Bay to Big Moose and on to Stillwater was built. The talk will conclude with a discussion of the lessons that can be learned from the many attempts over the last century to reconnect Beaver River by road.

The topic is especially timely as Town of Webb officials, including Supervisor Tom Greco, have identified access to Beaver River as an important issue for ongoing discussion and long-term planning in the region. Linda Weal, library director, said, "We're thankful to have this series at the library. Programs like this remind us that history isn't just about the past. It helps us better understand what's happening today."

Pitts is a retired attorney from Syracuse, New York, who now spends his time researching, writing, and lecturing on Adirondack history. Syracuse University Press has published two of his books: Beaver River Country: An Adirondack History and Sketching the Adirondacks: Letters from the Wilderness. His articles on Adirondack history have appeared in Adirondack Life, Adirondac, LOCALadk, and online in Adirondack Almanack and New York Almanack. He also maintains the illustrated history blog Annals of the Beaver River and is a member of the Rap-Shaw Club on Stillwater Reservoir.

Upcoming presentations in the series include:

July 23 – Bruce Steltzer: William Covey and Twitchell Lake
July 30 – Ray Letterman: Dams & Reservoirs of the Fulton Chain
August 6 – Tom Welch: The White Plague and Adirondack Tourism
August 13 – Gary Lee and Mitch Lee: Adirondack Columnists
August 20 – Eric Sutherland: Maple Sugaring
August 27 – James Spencer: The Salem Witch Stories

The Local History and Stories Series is free and open to the public and offers an engaging opportunity to explore Adirondack history while celebrating the stories and heritage of the region throughout the summer.

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